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SPBS-I Battle Armour
SPBS-I (Semi-Protective Body Suit) Battle Armour was the standard battlefield protection for The Royal Allegiance Armed Forces. Overview The SPBS-I Battle Armour was not groundbreaking in its technology, nor astounding in its effectiveness. Rather, it was an exceptional example of multi-faceted battlefield protection. Not only did it provide almost total protection against small-arms projectile fire, it gave dependable protection against energy-based weapons as well. The emphasis was placed on the maximum possible amount of protection possible without severe detriment to mobility and speed. Design The suit itself was essentially a bulletproof, airtight body suit underneath a series of armour plates. The plates were themselves integrated into the body suit, which was separated into sections to enable removing the suit. The sections of the armour would lock into place around the limbs, sealing the suit in place. The design itself was modular, allowing for easy customisation or specialisation in response to specific battlefield perameters. Multiple variants were produced, allowing the armour adaptability and versatility in all situations. Features General The armour was mobile, fast, and tough. In the hands of the Allegiance it could be considered lightweight too, as Therans possessed strength not found in humans. It gave ground troops, often facing the toughest of battles and the hardest of circumstances the best chance of survival possible. Movement was solely provided by the user without any assistance from powered compoments. The Armour's processor and internal electrics were powered by a rechargeable Lanthanum/Nickel/Tin cell. It provided a long-lasting power source and there was virtually no battery life decrease with each charge. Solar panels built into the torso and back of the armour continuously trickle-charged the battery when exposed to light. In cases of emergency the armour could be connected to an external power source. The armour had no stealth capabilities whatsoever. Its notable weakness was to plasma fire and other directed energy weapons. It offered almost no protection from bullets larger that 21mm in calibre. Neural Interface Perhaps the most imperative feature of the armour, the neural interface directly connected the brain to the processor of the suit. The wearer could enable night vision, commence radio broadcast, extend retracted combat blades, remove the suit, or any other armour function- simply by thinking it. This substantially increased battlefield effectiveness and reactions. The interface also had a 'predictive' feature. For example, if the user thought 'compass', a compass would appear on the user's HUD. It could also display many other vital battlefield information (see HUD). Each suit of armour also had an awareness of where other suits were. This information could be relayed to the user, providing accurate information of the locations of squad mates. This was also used to alert squad mates to injured personnel on the battlefield. Another use was to provide up-to-the-minute battlefield telemetry to commanding elements of a force. Command would then alert the suit to nearby threats or targets, and this information would then be fed straight the the HUDs of all nearby or selected soldiers. The neural interface could also be used in conjunction with the armour to actuate events not intergral to the suit itself. For example, a wearer could open the hatch of a dropship using the neural interface in the same way as he would switch on battlefield communications. Persons not possessing a neural interface were not able to use the armour. HUD The HUD, or Heads-Up Display, was one of the most widely used aspects of the armour. It provided all the battlefield information fed to the wearer, enabling cohesive squad function and performance, and, more importantly, a decent awareness of the soldier's surroundings. The HUD provided a vast amount of information to the wearer, most on request via the neural interface, some displayed constantly (although these settings could be changed). The HUD displayed: *Current weapon status (amount and type of weapons, ammunition reserves) *Enemy forces (both immediate and distant; shown by red and orange markers respectively) *Crosshair (with ability to fire from the hip accurately, dependant on compliant weapon equipped with electronic sight) *Squad-mates (shown in green, information on squad-mate status available on request via neural interface) *Friendly forces (shown in blue; information on status available on request via neural interface) *Battlefield objects (including downed team-mates, destroyed friendly forces, ammunition/weapons etc, shown in yellow) *DBCDR (Direct Battlefield Communication/Data Relay) (allowing viewing of intelligence gathered by other friendly forces, communication with video to superior officers, UAV, aerial or satellite intelligence, sitreps from allied forces) *Checkpoints/Rally Points/Objectives (shown in purple, additional information if available via neural interface/DBCDR, continuously updated by command) *Geological/terrain/mapping information (via integral sensor equipment or data supplied direct from command) *Meterological Data (Data supplied direct from command) *User health/Vital Statistics *Armour Status/Damage Assessment *Communications/Global Status In essence, everything detected by the armour or by Command was presented to the armour's wearer through the HUD. Visor The visor itself was a multi-layered 'sandwich' of different materials. The protective coatings on the outer layer prevented scratching, fogging and icing, and reduced glare and UV rays for improved visibility and safety in almost all light conditions. The outer surface had reduced reflective properties, reducing the chance of reflection giving away the wearer's position. The inner layer of the visor was coated with a material that glowed in Laser light, to facilitate the HUD. Layers of Polycarbonate laminate in between gave a good deal of resistance to bullets, although this was only relied upon as a last resort. Armour The actual armour plates themselves, though intergrated fully into the body suit, provided the vast majority of protection to the user. Designed in layers, it prevented harm to the user, which in turn allowed for greater battlefield domination. The first layer was a grid of energy shields projected a centimetre or so from the suit. It did not deflect projectiles, nor dampen explosive shockwaves. Its primary purpose was to disrupt directed energy weapons before they reached the armour. This layer offered 100% protection from plasma fire and other energy weapons. It could be bypassed completely by projectiles and explosions. It functioned ony as long as it was charged. It could be depleted by two or three plasma bolts, offering very limited protection- but the user would suffer no damage whatsoever form these shots. A wearer could not be subjected to sustained plasma fire for any period of time. The second layer was a milimetre-thin layer of Tritonium, a metal alloy with hardness higher and reactivity lower than diamond. It was impregnated with a microscopic latticework of neutronium strands, providing effective protection against projectiles. it could halt all small-arms rounds completely, and high-velocity rounds at all but point-blank range. It offers only limited protection from rounds exeeding 21mm at any range. The third layer was a carbon composite material that was tougher than most metals. It was specifically purposed for withstanding directed energy weapons and concussive blasts. It offered extremely limited protection to projectile-based weaponry. The final layer was a layer of carbon nano-fibre. It offered all-round protection from general attack. Body Suit The body suit was, for the most part bulletproof. This was not extended to large calibre and close range fire. it was completely airtight, and provided little to no protection against energy weapons. The outer layer was a thin, waterproof layer that offered no protection from attack. It merely provided defense from the elements. The second layer was carbon nano-fibre one centimetre thick, woven from nanotube fibres. The width of a human hair, these fibres were four times as tough as spider silk and seventeen times as tough as Kevlar. Even high-velocity ammunition could not penetrate this material, except at point-blank range. The next layer was a thin layer of nano-material designed to protect against radiological attack. Due to the expense of the material, the amount present is not sufficient to provide complete radiological protection. It merely extended the time period in which the soldier could continue to fight under radiological attack. Because the suit was airtight, it offered complete protection from chemical and biological warfare. The next layer was a thin gel layer designed to lessen impacts and concussive forces. It was not intended to increase the user's tolerance to extreme events such as atmospheric drops- it only slightly lessened impacts to the ground and other objects, and explosive shockwaves. The final layer was 'smart' insulation. It fed off data from the armour's processor on the wearer's vitals, and regulated the internal temperature accordingly. It could thusly be fed information on wounds, where the layer would contract, slowing the bleeding and allowing the wearer increased, if only slightly, survivability. The whole bodysuit itself was entirely airtight. The wearer could survive for a limited period in vaccuum- without the additon of oxygen tanks this was typically less than thirty minutes. Helmet Variants 'Ranger' Scout/Recon Variant The Ranger variant was essentially a lighter version of the standard variant. Very little had changed except the armour offered less protection, better mobility and the stealth measures were slightly improved. It saw most common use amongst snipers and other soldiers who did not expect to see close-range combat. Navy officers heading into combat zones were often issued this armour type. 'Phoenix' Heavy Weapons Variant The Phoenix heavy weapons variant featured a heavier frame, which was more resistant to enemy fire, more specifically explosions. It featured a magnetic shoulder pauldron which made firing shoulder-launched weapons substantially easier. It could accomodate larger ammunition types such as bulky rockets and energy magazines. The HUD featured an additional capacity to designate and select armoured targets in order of priority (and whether the soldier had the weapons to engage it) either with input from a remote command or autonomously. Roughly one soldier in ten was given Phoenix armour, their task to engage enemy armoured targets. 'Rogue' CQB Variant The Rogue armour was specifically modified for increased survivability in close quarters battles. It featured a less angular design, with less obtrusive shapes for enemies to grab onto. This came at the detriment to stealth characteristics. The armour was smaller and less thick, increasing mobility substantially but sacrificing much of the armour's protective qualities. It featured specially-adapted weapons mounts on the tops of the forearms, to facilitate small weapons such as miniaturised shotguns, micro-SMGs and conventional or plasma blades. The most well-documented use of the armour was by the Marine Corps, who made extensive use of this armour type for shipboard combat actions. 'Apollo' Pilot Variant The pilot variant was essentially just the thick body suit, with some armour plates remaining on the thighs, torso and upper arms. Heavily stripped down and lightened for the cramped conditions of the cockpit, the Apollo variant was nonetheless hardened for the rigours of prolonged, exhausting combat from a small station. Many of the more combat-oriented functions were removed, though the armour could still provide limited protection or hold small weapons such as pistols and SMGs. The HUD and neural interface were optimised for piloting vessels, integrating almost seamlessly with the craft to give the pilot total, instantaneous control. 'Griphon' Vehicle Crew Variant The vehicle crew variant, or Griphon, was essentially as stripped down internally as the Apollo version. However, it maintained the majority of its armour protection, the reason being that crew forced to bail out will be facing actual combat. The HUD was optimised for control of vehicles and weapon systems, allowing vehicle crew to flawlessly control the vehicles and operate the weapons systems. 'Spectre' Infiltration Variant The Spectre variant featured more advanced stealth measures to the detriment of protection from fire. It featured a stealthy external shape which helped to reduce chances of detectability. The armour was coated in a RADAR-absorbant paint which absorbed in excess of 94% of electromagnetic rays, rendering it virtually invisible to standard detection systems. Thermostatic circuits maintained the armour's exterior temperature in accordance with that of its surroundings, rendering it undetectable on thermal imaging. The outer coat of the armour was a a matte rubberized polymer spray coating to decrease its UV reflections and to distort LADAR and laser. The Spectre also made use of heat sinks, ablative baffles and other passive stealth measures to further reduce its detectability. This variant was rare in comparison to others, but was widely used for infiltration missions and covert operations. As a result, it was commonly associated with elite divisions within the Allegiance Army. 'Prometheus' Exoatmospheric Variant Commonly used by extra-vehicular troops, the Prometheus variant featured a 24-hour oxygen capacity to allow prolonged periods of time in exoatmospheric conditions. Employing a wider, more panoramic visor and stronger electromagnetic ray filters, the Prometheus was designed specifically for protection in vacuum. Like all other variants it could be used underwater, however to much greater depths than most variants.